Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	harden_v	judgement_n	pharaoh_n	2,936	5	10.9003	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68105	The way to well-doing. Or A sermon of faith and good vvorkes Preached in the chappell of Buntingford, in the county of Hartford, at the beginning of their publike lecture. By Iohn Gore, rector of Wenden-lofts in Essex.	Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex.; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex, Summer sermon. aut; Gore, John, Rector of Wendenlofts, Essex. Winter sermon. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 12087; ESTC S116024	20,619	38

a devill might doe much upon earth but he could doe nothing in heaven therefore say they shew us a signe from Heaven and we will beleeve So here to prevent all misconceites Elias prayed and procures a judgement from heaven and that a convincing a cutting judgement for you must know that the people at that time left off to worship the true God and fell to worship Baall the Sunne the Moone and all the Hoast of Heaven trusting no doubt that these gods of theirs would by their influence so moysten and fatten the earth that they should not need to be beholding to God for any raine now quoth Eliah here is a judgement to try yours gods withall goe to the gods that ye have served let them helpe now or never if they can doe any thing they can send a showre of rayne if not why doe ye serve them I say it was a convincing judgement Eliah did it on purpose to let them see the vilenesse of their Idolatry what base what impotent what unworthy gods they served that could not helpe their clyents to a droppe of raine In like manner whatsoever a man makes his god besides the true one I meane puts his trust in for helpe in time of neede shall at length so deceive him and so befoole him that hee shall bee forced to confesse as these people did in the end The Lord he is God The Lord hee is God 2. Because it was a just and a fitting punishment this people were guilty of spirituall barrennesse and God plagued them with temporall barrennesse No Nation under heaven was so husbanded and manured of God so watered with the dewes of heaven I meane with the meanes of grace and salvation as they were and yet none more unfruitfull in every good worke Now therefore Eliah fits them with a judgement sutable and agreeable to their sinne he prayes to God that it might not raine that so their lands might be answerable to their lives and their foyles become as barren as their soules Thus it pleaseth God many times to pay men in their owne coyne to come home to them in their owne kinde and to fit his punishments according to their sinnes That as they that sinne in their goods by misgetting miskeeping and mispending them are many times punished in their goods by losses and crosses by fire by water c. And as they that sinne in their children by misloving or misnurturing them are oft times punished in their children as David was in Absolom and Adonijah so they that sinne in their lands it is just with God to punish them in their lands Solomon tels us Prov. 21. 4. that the plowing of a wicked man is sinne That is strange the husbandry and tillage of the ground is generally held to be one of the most honest the most innocent the most harmelesse callings in the world and so it is of it selfe and yet wee see when a wicked man takes the plow in hand when a man goes to his plow with an ill minde and an ill conscience his very plowing addes to his sinnes And it is just with God that that land which is plowed sinfully should thrive accordingly and become as bad and as barren as the owner A fruitfull land doth God make barren for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein 3. Because it was a sensible and a palpable judgement As God Almighty told Caine Gen. 4. 7. that hee should be cursed from the earth The Lord knew that Caine cared not to be cursed from heaven and to be banished from the presence of God and branded for a Reprobate but to bee cursed from the earth to be cursed in earthly things hee being a tiller of the earth that would goe nearest to his heart of any judgement Even such is the disposition of every man of the earth as David termes earthly minded men they doe not value nor care to be cursed from heaven to be excommunicated out of the favour of God and out of the blessed company of all faithfull people which censure of excommunication if it be rightly carryed with a Clave non erante as the Schoolemen speake when there is no errour committed in the use of the keyes is one of the greatest punishments under heaven But carnall men are not sensible of this and therefore God will punish them in that wherein they are sensible in their wives and children in their corne and cattell c. in such things as are neerest and dearest to them as when David slung his stone at Goliah if hee had strucke him upon any part of his harnesse hee had never felt the blow but striking him as hee did in the forehead which was naked and tender that sunke him presently so it is with carnall men for spirituall judgements they are harnessed their hearts are hardned their consciences are seared they have as the Apostle speakes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a horny hoofe as it were growne over their hearts that makes them insensible of any spirituall blow that can light upon them Therefore Almighty God knowing in what part they lie naked in what kinde they are tenderly affected namely in their affection to earthly things strikes them there plagues them in that and that sinkes them like Nabal whose heart dyed within him like a stone As we see in Exodus how Pharaoh and the Egyptians hardned their heart and out stood all the plagues of Egypt till God plagued them in their children and that broke their hearts So beleeve it they that care not for spirituall punishments for the losse of Gods favour the losse of heaven the losse and perill of their owne soules God will finde a time to punish them in that which they doe and shall care for in their corne in their substance in that which is neerest and dearest to them As he did these Israelies here because they were not sensible of the want of grace God punisht them with that would make them sensible with the want of raine that when they had plowed and sowne their land and bestowed all their care and cost all should be in vaine for want of moisture to refresh the earth These or the like reasons I suppose might moove Eliah to pray and procure this kinde of judgement By the way if any man desire to know the reason why God is not thus marveilous in the Ministers of the Gospell as hee was in Eliah and those other Prophets of the Law why wee that are his Evangelicall Prophets cannot doe such wonders in our dayes as they did in theirs Answer though that same donum miraculorum the gift of Miracles be ceased in the Church now that the Gospell hath taken roote as Husbandmen when they transplant a tree at first they set props and stayes to shore it up but after it hath taken root they take away the staies and let it grow by the ordinary influence of the heavens I say though the gift of working wonders be ceased yet miracles wonders

in another kind nevercease but are wrought daily by the Preachers of the Gospell For you must know that the miracles under the Gospell are of a differing nature from the miracles under the Law those were ocularia miracula as I may fitly call them eye-miracles that were visible and outwardly apparent to be seene but these are Auricularia miracula Eare-miracles secret and invisible wrought in the heart by the Word and Spirit of God entring in at the eare and going downe into the soule Though wee cannot command or forbid the raine to water the earth as Eliah did if we can water and mollifie the earthen hearts of men with the supernaturall raine of heavenly Doctrine and make a dry and barren soule beare fruit to God is not this as great a wonder as the other Though we cannot cause nor command the thunder as Samuel did to terrifie the people for their sinnes yet God hath his Boanerges his sons of thunder still that by ratling from heaven the terrible judgements of God against sinne and sinners are able to make the stoutest and the proudest heart upon earth even tremble and quake and fall downe before the presence of God and is not this as great a miracle as that of Samuel to bring an unhumbled sinner upon his knees and make glad to cry God mercy for his sinnes In a word though we cannot cast out devils out of mens bodies as the disciples of Christ could doe if wee can cast the devill out of mens soules by the powerfull Gospell of Iesus Christ is it not as great a wonder Beleeve it brethren the conversion of a sinner to God and bringing of a soule to heaven is absolutely without comparison the greatest miracle the greatest wonder in the world And these be the miracles wherewith it pleaseth God to grace the Ministers of the Gospell therefore ye observe that the Collect for Ministers runs thus Almighty God which only workest great marvels c. When a soule is sicke to the death with a surfeit of sinne is recovered and revived againe by that same healthfull spirit of grace which God together with his Word doth breathe into the soule it is so great a marvell so rare a wonder that the Angels of heaven rejoyce to see it I have held you over-long in the former part of Eliahs prayer which brought the judgement heare now in a word or two the Reversing of the judgement and I have done And hee prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit It well becomes the Prophets of God to be mercifull Good Eliah had not the heart to hold the people too long under a judgement when hee saw he had done enough to humble them he desires God to reverse the judgement As it is observed of the good Angels in the old and new Testament when they appeared to any either man or woman their method and manner was this Primo terrent deinde laetificant they first terrified them and put them into feare then presently comforted them and put them out of feare Thus did Eliah with this people thus did Moses with Pharaoh that good man had not the heart to hold wicked Pharaoh alway under a judgement but upon the least entreaty made suite to God to reverse it So dealt the Prophet with Ieroboam 1 Reg. 13. 6. when hee had smitten him with a judgement and had him at the advantage that his hand was witnered Ieroboam was glad to submit and say Intreate now the face of the Lord thy God and pray for me that my hand may be restored me The man of God had not the heart to deny him but immediately besought the Lord and the Kings hand was restored and became as it was before When a judgement comes then Prophet are in season Abraham is better than a King in this case Gen. 20. 7. Restore the man his owne for he is a Prophet and hee shall pray for thee and ver 17. Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimelech c. Goe to my servant Iob saith God to his friends Iob 42. 8. and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept So Act. 8. 24. When Peter had denounced a curse on Simon Magus he was glad to crouch and cry unto him Oh pray yee to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon mee Thus yee see that judgements and plagues will bring Prophets into request men commonly deale with their Ministers as boyes doe by Walnut-trees and other fruit-trees in faire weather throw cudgels at us in foule runne to us for shelter In the dayes of peace and prosperity wee are past over as superfluous creatures of whom there is little use and lesse neede but when the wrath of God fals on the naked soule when the conscience is wounded within and body pained without then the Minister is thought on I say no more if you desire their prayers and that God should heare them praying for you in your extremity doe not slight them doe not wrong them in prosperity Remember how Ahab and all Israel were glad to be beholden to Eliah to reverse their judgement and you do not know how soone the case may be your owne therefore as you love your soules love those that have charge of them And he prayed againe c. When I looke into the Story 1 Reg. 18. I can finde no direct prayer that Eliah made for raine But I finde there a twofold prayer that he made 1. A vertuall 2. A formall prayer 1. A Vertuall prayer not for raine but for their conversion Oh Lord saith Eliah bring backe or bring home the heart of this people unto thee vers 73. and this includes all other prayers that can be made A prayer for conversion is a prayer for every thing Ier. 31. 18. When Ephraim prayes for conversion Turne thou me and I shall be turned saith God I will surely have mercy upon him c. Such is the goodnesse of God that he will with-hold no good thing be it raine be it plenty be it any thing that is good for them from them that are converted and brought home by true repentance to him Therefore if thou standest in need of any temporall mercy pray first for conversion and all other good things shall be super-added and throwne in unto thee or if thou prayest for any child or for any friend to doe him good indeed pray for his conversion and thou prayest for every thing that one prayer is instar omnium insteed of all the rest If he be in an ill way desire God to bring him backe and for future things take no care 2. A formall prayer when he saw that the people were truely humbled and that their hearts were indeed brought home to God insomuch that they cryed out with an ingemmination The Lord hee is God the Lord he is God then he buckles his head betweene his knees to shew the humble prostration of his soule and fals a praying to God for raine After humiliation any prayer comes in season Esay 1. Wash ye make ye cleane put away the evill of your doings c. And now come saith God and wee will reason together now let us parle now let us confesse now pray and I will heare you Iud. 10. 17. When the Israelites put away their strange gods and turned themselves to the true God by sincere repentance and reformation the Text saith His soule was grieved for the misery of Israel thus the onely way to case our owne soules of griefe or to be rid of any grievous judgement is to grieve the soule of God that is to humble our selves before him to pray and seeke his face and to turne from our wicked wayes and God will be even grieved with himselfe that ever he punished plagued and put us to griefe and he will returne as he saith and have mercy on us and will do us good after he hath done us hurt Here then in a word is the ready way to prevaile with God either for raine or for faire weather or for any temporall blessing whatsoever to doe as Eliah did buckle our very heads betweene our knees I meane prostrate our selves before the face of God in the humblest in the lowliest in the most dejected manner that we can device and if any meanes under heaven will fetch downe mercy from heaven that will doe it Eliah prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her fruit Now to God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost be ascribed and given all honour and glory be done and performed all service and duty from this time forth for evermore Amen FINIS